9 November 2022
Beloved Eliot,
It’s that time of year when we begin to reflect on all that we are grateful for in the year past and when we begin making plans for a new year ahead. As you reflect on these things in your personal, professional, and family life, I invite you to also include your spiritual life and church community. I’d like to share my own reflections with you as an encouragement and example.
Since this is the eleventh month of the year, here are eleven things I’m grateful for related to our church and my spiritual life:
- seeing your faces in the sanctuary coupled with an ongoing presence online. (I love seeing my parents in worship!)
- the new “tech crew” who makes online worship possible.
- my sabbatical and the restoration it provided to me.
- the many people in and outside our congregation who filled in gaps during my sabbatical. (I couldn’t possibly name them all.)
- the ways I see you living your faith out in the community. (A few examples come to mind, but it seems unfair to name just a few.)
- a phenomenal group of clergy-women friends who provide mutual support and encouragement to each other on a daily basis.
- our creative and compassionate staff at the church and Day Center. (We had a formal feedback process this year, and it was life-giving and wonderful.)
- donations that supported a beautiful new floor in the church building.
- the mural on the back of our building.
- an evolving faith as I ask new questions about God and what it means to be a follower of Jesus in these times.
- all the ways being part of a multicultural community is both challenging (differing expectations, miscommunications, hard conversations) and joyful (music, food, new perspectives).
It feels a little too ambitious to name eleven hopes or plans for the year ahead. Indeed, in 2023 I anticipate we will be having two or three larger conversations about what we hope for the future of Eliot and how to get there. For 2 ½ years, online or hybrid worship has been our reality. Do we want to keep it permanently? Likewise, the Day Center has as many guests as the congregation has members. What is the future of this ministry? We seem to have less energy for volunteering in congregational ministries, and post-pandemic giving is behind. Where do we want to focus to have the right gospel impact, and what do we need to let go of for now?
None of these questions have easy answers. But as 2023 nears, I hope you will commit to be part of discerning the future of Eliot Church. You can act on that commitment in several ways:
- Participate regularly in worship, either online or in the sanctuary.
- When the time comes, participate in conversations like those I mentioned above. Share your insights thoughtfully and prayerfully.
- Join a committee or serve as an Elder or Deacon.
- Pray for Eliot, both the people and the institution.
- Make a pledge for 2023 as a sign of your commitment to the future.
One purpose of this letter is to ask for your financial pledge. While we need your pledge to budget for our expenses (salaries, utilities, building maintenance, worship supplies), the real value of your pledge is as a sign of your commitment to God’s work at Eliot for the year ahead. So whatever the amount, please prayerfully complete a pledge card and return it by Sunday, November 20. You can use the paper card enclosed here or pledge online at http://eliotlowell.org/pledge23.
In the weeks ahead, may you find your heart overflowing with gratitude and your spirit filled with hope for the future that lies ahead.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Heather Prince Doss and Joyce Hughes, Financial Secretary